Adopter Name

Traci Read

Rescue Dog’s Name

Gucci

Where Did You Find Your Dog?

Sedalia, MO animal shelter

Tell Us About the Moment When You Knew that You Two Were Meant for Each Other.

When I originally went to pick her up, I had no intention of keeping her. I had heard about this tiny dog that was sitting in a shelter with much larger dogs and went to get her for a rescue. I actually had a potential adoptive family lined up, a friend, who eventually backed out. When I walked into the shelter and gave my name, the volunteer walked into the kennel area and came back & handed me a half-bald, snarling little beast who immediately tried to bite my face. My first thought was, ”what have I gotten myself into?” I didn’t put her down, i just held her closer, and talked to her softly. She was CRAWLING with fleas, her skin was dry & flaky, and she was so, so, so skinny. My 2 young children came running up to look at the ”new dog” and she growled and snapped at them. The mother in me thought twice about taking her… but just for a moment. I could see the sadness in her eyes. I told the kids that we needed to give her space and let her get used to us, and thankfully, they listened. I just cuddled her and kissed her and filled out the paperwork. My husband, who’s a veterinarian, was waiting in the car (where the kids were SUPPOSED to be), and when he saw the poor dog, he said, ”Oh, Traci.” and shook his head. He listened to her heart, looked at her teeth and eyes and ears- she looked fine except for being way too thin and covered in fleas. And she still growled at everyone, except for me. I put her in the kennel that I had prepared for her- there were toys and treats and a soft, plushy bed. The car was packed full, so I held the kennel on my lap. It was one of those plastic travel kennels with the metal doors that rattle, so I put my fingers in the door to stop the noise. That little dog came over and rested her head on my fingers and went to sleep. A few miles down the road, we stopped for a bathroom break. My husband stayed in the car so I could take the k ids inside the gas station. As soon as I got out of the car, Gucci started to cry, and cry and cry and cry. She cried until I got back into the car. As soon as she could see me, she calmed down and when I put my fingers back in the kennel, she licked them and put her head back down and went to sleep. And then I cried. In 20 minutes, she had decided that I made her feel safe. And I had decided that I loved her. My husband didn’t even have to ask. We got her home- flea meds came first, bath came second. She acted like a bath was the greatest thing ever. She slept curled up next to me the first night and every night since. She loves the kids. She’s a Daddy’s Girl, but she’s still my girl most of all. My little minion, she follows me everywhere. She greets me at the door when I get home. She waits for me when I’m in the shower. She’s always happy to see me.

How Has Your Hero Changed Your Life?

Gucci is my little doggy soulmate, and I don’t know what I would do without her. She’s honestly my best pal. When I’m sad, she cheers me up. When I’m sick, she doesn’t leave my side. She just GETS me. She has topped out at 6 pounds. She’s tiny, but she runs the house. Everyone in our family adores her. She’s bossy, but we don’t care. We like her that way. She’s got all her hair now and it’s black and silver and wiry and all over the place, and we think she’s beautiful. Recently, we fostered another wiry little puppy. Gucci loved her so much, we decided to keep her. Now Gucci and her baby sister Rubie Sue keep us all on our toes.